Sightseeing OverviewThe city center lies in two parts:
Gornji Grad (Upper Town) and
Donji Grad (Lower Town) which meet at Trg Bana Jelacica, the main square. Picturesque Gornji Grad is made up of higgledy-piggledy cobbled streets and buildings dating from medieval times up to the 19th century, including the
Katedrala (Cathedral),
Crkva Svetog Marka (St Marks’ Church), the
Sabor (Croatian Parliament), the
Mestrovic Atelier and
Dolac (the open-air market). In contrast, Donji Grad follows a geometrical grid-plan, with a series of green
squares rimmed by Austro-Hungarian buildings erected from the late-19th century onwards, most notably the
Glavni Kolodvor (main train station), the
Kazaliste (Theater) and the
Muzej Umjetnost i Obrt (Museum of Arts and Crafts).
Tourist InformationTourist Information Center (TIC)Trg Bana Jelacica 11
Tel: (01) 481 4051.
Website:
www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr The Tourist Information Center (above) is on the main square. The staff are helpful, speak good English, and can provide information about accommodation, events and public transport, plus maps. There is also a smaller TIC close to the train station at Trg Nikole Subica Zrinskog 14 (tel: (01) 492 1645).
PassesThe
Zagrebcard offers unlimited travel on city public transport, discounts in various museums, restaurants and hotels, as well as favorable deals with some car-hire companies and travel agents. It is available from both TIC’s and most hotels, and is valid for 72 hours.
Key Attractions:Trg Bana Jelacica (Ban Jelacic Square) This large paved piazza has been Zagreb’s main square since Donji Grad came into being in the 19th century. Pedestrian-only (with the exception of trams) it’s a lively public meeting place rimmed by several elegant pastel-colored Secessionist facades and open-air cafes. The centerpiece is a bronze statue of its namesake, Ban Jelacica (Croatian viceroy under Austro-Hungary) upon a horse.
Katedrala (Cathedral) There has been a church on this site since the 12 th century, but today’s neo-Gothic façade with twin steeples was erected after the 1880 earthquake. Inside, on the north wall, note a 12th-centruy inscription in Glagolithic script (a predecessor to Cyrillic).
Kaptol 31, Gornji Gard
Markov Trg (St Mark’s Square) Zagreb’s main square until the 19th century is home to the neo-classical
Sabor (Parliament) and the
Baroque Banski Dvori (Ban’s Court Palace). The centerpiece is
Crkva Svetog Marka (St Mark’s Church), best known for its eccentric red-white-and-blue tiled roof featuring the coats of arms for Zagreb and the Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, which was added to this 13th-centruy building in 1880.
Gornji Grad
Mestrovic Atelier Croatia’s best-known 20th-century sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic, lived and worked here intermittently during the 1920s. It is now a charming memorial museum, exhibiting a collection of his sculptures and sketches in a warm and very personal environment.
Mletacka 8, Gornji Grad
Tel: (01) 485 1123.
Website:
www.mdc.hr Muzej za Umjetnost i Obrt (Museum of Arts and Crafts) A walk through the history of Croatian design, with furniture, ceramics, silverware, glassware, textiles and clocks displayed in chronological order, from the Baroque period up to the industrial age. The building itself dates from 1880.
Trg Marsala Tita 10, Donji Grad
Tel: (01) 482 6922.
Website:
www.muo.hr Further Distractions:Strossmajerov Setaliste (Strossmayer Promenade) This romantic footpath offers the finest views over Zagreb. The most amusing way to reach it is by funicular (from Tomiceva, just off Ilica), although it is also quite feasible to walk up. Close to the funicular station stands the 13th-century
Kula Lotrscak (Lotrscak Tower), from where the city canon is fired daily at noon.
Maksimir Park East of the city center, the 18-hectare Maksimir Park dates back to the late-18th century. A vast expanse of lush green lawns and woods, the English-style landscaping includes artificial lakes and romantic follies. There is also a small zoo. Zagreb Zoo
Tel: (01) 230 2198.
Website:
www.zoo.hr
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